The field of the disclosure relates generally to sub-sea separator systems and, more particularly, to a sub-sea power supply and a method of use thereof.
Sub-sea oil and gas production is generally constrained by topside facilities used for various processes, including, without limitation, separation. Shifting processing to the sea floor improves recovery, accelerates production, reduces water disposal to sea, and enhances flow management. Additionally, shifting processing to the sea floor saves space on topside facilities and reduces cost.
The separation process includes liquid-liquid separation and gas-liquid separation. More specifically, gas is separated from the liquid and water is separated from the oil. Several known techniques exist for liquid-liquid and gas-liquid separation, including, without limitation, gravity separators, centrifugal separators, and electrostatic separators. In sub-sea processing, gravity systems are most common. Electrostatic systems and centrifugal systems are typically available for topside processing.
Known electrostatic gas-liquid separators use a high voltage to generate a strong electric field through which a fluid flows. The electric field charges liquid particles in the fluid. Charged liquid particles are then precipitated from the uncharged gas particles in the fluid, separating the gas and liquid. Certain known electrostatic liquid-liquid separators use high frequencies and high voltages to charge and separate the liquid particles. Sub-sea application of electrostatic separation remains challenging because preferable high voltages and sufficient power levels are difficult to efficiently deliver to the sea floor. More specifically, high DC voltages (in excess of 20,000 Volts) are faced with limitations in known wet-mateable connectors and known short-circuit protection features. Furthermore, production and maintenance costs, availability, and reliability for sub-sea components are generally prohibitive. Many known high-voltage supplies are not suitable for failure free operation without maintenance for up to several decades.